The Top 10 Most Haunted and Terrifying Cemeteries in America

…Have you ever been to a haunted cemetery?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been attracted to paranormal activity since I was a little kid. I remember a time when I was about 10 years old and I was watching “A Haunting” on Discovery Channel.

Even though I was completely scared and I had a pillow over my head, I was doing everything that I could to watch two episodes of that show every Friday after school.

Even though it was entertaining and also frightening at the same time, getting back home when it was dark outside wasn’t fun at all! Well, a lot of time has passed since then, but my weird taste for the paranormal is not gone.

I’ve let go of these shows, but I find something that is even more interesting: haunted cemeteries. I used to live right across the street from one and trust me, seeing it every single day made me a lot stronger!

It was ok during the day, but as the night came and I was all alone in my home, I made sure that all the lights were turned on, the TV was on, I had music playing in the background, and my dog was there to watch and protect me.

I was scared that my house was actually haunted, but that wasn’t the case. During the time that I’d lived near this cemetery, I heard many stories saying that the graveyard was the place where ghosts used to meet at midnight and do all sorts of incantations.

Even though I laughed at first, this got me intrigued about tombs that are visited by ghosts in general and I came across the 10 most haunted cemeteries in America!

Get ready, because things are about to get spooky!

1. Resurrection Cemetery, Chicago

I am sure there is a slight possibility you might know this story already. Many, many years ago, after she went to a dance, a young girl was going back home. Sadly, she got hit by a car while she was walking.

She had a tragic death and it is believed that she spent more than 80 years hitchhiking around the graveyard. When a nice driver accepts to take her and then drops her off at the gates of the allegedly haunted cemetery, she disappears.

Chicago residents call her Resurrection Mary and there were drivers who swore they’ve seen her on the roads. Some of them almost hit her, while others said they wanted to help her, so they picked her up.

Even though all these stories sound like they are some urban legends, there is actually a piece of truth. Many years ago, in 1927, a 14-year-old girl named Anna Norkus was killed in a car accident. She was going home from the Oh Henry Ballroom.

2. Union Cemetery in Easton, Ct

The second haunted graveyard on this list is the Union Cemetery in Easton. It was built sometime around the 1600s and is known as the White Lady Cemetery due to the fact that a ghost has haunted it since then.

This phantom lady likes to wander around the cemetery during the nighttime and when she feels braver, she likes to go beyond the gates and stop on the road. Unfortunately, drivers don’t find her “walk” as pleasant, given the fact that many of them reported “hitting” her.

The White Lady appears out of nowhere like she was playing some sort of hide and seek game. When she doesn’t stay on the road, many people stated that they’ve seen a pair of red eyes watching them from behind the trees.

3. Stull Cemetery, Kansas – the Gates to Hell

…This story doesn’t imply ghosts, but the devil himself!

There are several legends that say that there was once a church where the cemetery is now. The construction didn’t last long and it was ruined on Good Friday.

People who live nearby say that if you go to this haunted cemetery and you knock on a rock in the rubble load, the one that will answer you will be the actual devil himself.

4. Howard Street Cemetery, Salem, Massachusetts

The Howard Street Cemetery in Salem is one of the most terrifyingly haunted graveyards you could possibly see in the United States of America.

One of the many reasons why most people are so scared to go there is the fact that a resident named Giles Corey died there and was buried there as well.

The man lost his life when he was tortured during the Witch Trials. He was accused of performing witchcraft, but when the officials asked him to tell the truth, he remained silent.

Corey believed that whatever he answered, the officials of the city would take all his property away from him. The sheriff didn’t care about this man’s life, so he made him lie down in a big gap in the middle of an empty field.

After that, the officer added several stones to a board that was placed over his chest. They kept adding stones until Giles Corey was crushed to death.

It is believed that the man got so mad that he was killed, that he decided to never leave that place. The cemetery is now haunted by Corey’s ghost, who was allegedly seen a few days before the Great Fire of 1914.

5. Cemetery Hill, Gettysburg, Pa

It is believed that Cemetery Hill in Gettysburg is the place where besides seeing ghosts, you can actually be haunted by the smell of them. In 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg, many people lost their lives.

There were so many bodies that it was impossible to bury each one of them in a short amount of time.

The odor was impossible to stand, so people weren’t able to walk near this cemetery without having something to help them mask the awful smell.

They used to dip handkerchiefs in several liquids, such as vanilla and peppermint, and every time they had something to do near the graveyard, they would hold the materials to their noses.

Many locals say that the smell of peppermint even exists if you walk around Cemetery Hill today.

6. Hollywood Forever, Los Angeles

If you believe that celebrities don’t like to be ghosts, you will have to think twice!

There are many famous people who were buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, such as Virginia Rappe, Clifton Webb, and Marion Davies.

And there is more! Even though politician William Randolph Hearst wasn’t buried in this cemetery, his ghost likes to wander around the graveyard and visit Marion Davies’s tombstone, his old mistress, and the love of his life.

…I sure wouldn’t want to be haunted!!!

7. St. Louis Cemetery, New Orleans

There are three cemeteries in the Big Easy that are named St. Louis, but people say that only one of them is haunted. One of these graveyards was originally opened long before it burned down in 1788.

Locals wanted to have this cemetery back, so they burned the newer version of it in 1789.

According to several sources, more than 100,000 people were buried in a small section that can be compared with the size of a block.

This is the reason why many people from New Orleans believe that ghosts are mad and they like to walk around the place, to finish their businesses.

Both locals and visitors are attracted by a particular “haunted” tomb, the one of Marie Laveau, who was a very famous voodoo priestess during her life.

Tourists mark three X-es on her tomb and they believe this sign will make Laveau grant them a big wish.

…Did you know about the story of the three X’s?

8. Westminster Presbyterian Churchyard, Baltimore, Maryland

It is believed that the poet and writer Edgar Allan Poe died because of many complications that occurred after the heavy drinking habits he developed during his life.

He was buried in the Westminster Presbyterian Churchyard in Baltimore which is considered to be one of the most haunted graveyards in the United States.

The author’s phantom was spotted several times walking around the place, but he is not the main character in this story! The legend we are going to talk about is the one of the Cambridge Skull.

A minister was killed by some gangsters, but rumors say that his head never stopped screaming and shouting, even though the body wasn’t alive anymore. The assassins took the howling skull and buried it in a block of cement, trying to cover the horrible sounds.

However, legends say that if you get close enough to the place where the head was put, you can still hear it scream. In addition to that, it is believed that if you hear the skull’s sound, you won’t be able to get that screaming out of your head.

Furthermore, this will probably drive you insane!

…Would you dare to listen?

9. Boot Hill, Tombstone, Arizona

The Boot Hill cemetery received its name due to the fact that many of the people who died there were buried with their boots on. There are many ghost stories that go around the city of Tombstone.

The interesting fact about this haunted cemetery is that these paranormal things appear in the daytime, not when it’s dark, like the other places on this list.

There were many people who wanted to be photographed in this haunted cemetery and the people taking the photos didn’t see anything strange around them. However, when the photos were developed, people could see the ghost of a cowboy rising from the ground.

Another story has a journalist as the main character. He traveled there and wanted to check the place out. When he was standing in front of an unmarked grave, he heard a voice telling him “You were so nice for doing that”.

He didn’t say anything and he thought that maybe it was just his imagination. After a while, the voice said something one more time and when the journalist looked around him, he saw a shadow rising from behind a big rock.

The man took a step back from the grave and when he returned, the voice told him “You came back. This means that you like to play with me”. He got scared, he felt numb, and he started running.

…Do you think these stories can actually be real?

10. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, Midlothian, Illinois

Now that we’ve talked about ghost sightings, it’s time to dive into even creepier things, such as the appearance of a haunted house. Many people claimed that they’ve seen a white farmhouse that had a porch swing and a few pillars.

Besides this house, people say that they’ve seen many human faces that suddenly appeared in the mist or on tombstones. However, all these weird things disappeared a few seconds after.

…Do you believe in ghosts and haunted cemeteries?

If you want to learn more fact&news about our beautiful country, I recommend checking out this next article: 10 Biggest Issues Travelers Face!